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Chiew Chan Yew
BINTULU (Feb 26): The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Bintulu said it supports the Sarawak government filing a petition in the Federal Court on Monday to resolve constitutional questions surrounding the state’s oil and gas resources.
Branch chairman Chiew Chan Yew said Sarawak’s petroleum rights must be approached with seriousness and responsibility as it concerns history, institutional arrangements, and the future of Sarawakians.
“At the same time, it is somewhat regrettable that this institutional effort, one that could have been initiated earlier, is only now being advanced in a more visible manner, just months before the Sarawak state election,” he said in a statement.
Chiew noted that since the Sarawak coalition secured a strong mandate in the state election on Dec 18, 2021, more than four years have passed.
He added with 80 out of 82 seats in the State Legislative Assembly, the Sarawak government is among the strongest state administrations in Malaysia.
“This matter of petroleum sovereignty, which concerns Sarawak’s fundamental interests, ideally should have been pursued through institutional and legal processes at an earlier stage. Over the past few years, the people rightfully expect to see more timely and concrete progress on such a critical issue,” he said.
He said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition is also an important component of the federal Unity Government, with 11 Sarawakian ministers and deputy ministers, including, for the first time, a deputy prime minister.
Under such favourable political conditions, he said, there should have been meaningful room for stronger coordination and constructive engagement between the state and federal governments to secure clearer and fairer resource rights for Sarawak through institutional dialogue and policy negotiation, without necessarily resorting to litigation.
Chiew said petroleum sovereignty is not a new issue but a long-standing structural matter that has existed for decades.
“It is therefore important that such a significant issue be addressed in a consistent, institutional and forward-looking manner, rather than becoming more prominent only during certain political periods.
“For Sarawak’s sovereignty, the people seek stable, clear, and sustainable institutional outcomes. Sovereignty is not merely expressed in words, it must be reflected in policies, laws, and fiscal structures that deliver real and lasting benefits to the people,” he said.
He added that the question of Sarawak’s sovereignty should be approached with a long-term view of national institutional development and federal–state relations.
Both the federal and Sarawak governments should continue to demonstrate sincerity and commitment, and, in line with MA63 and the Federal Constitution, work towards a fairer and more transparent resource governance framework that honours the spirit of the historical agreement, he said.
According to him, in 1976, then DAP leader Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang opposed the Petroleum Development Act in Parliament, cautioning that centralising Sarawak’s petroleum resources under the federal government would weaken the state’s economic autonomy and affect the long-term interests of its people.
“The DAP has consistently supported, and will continue to support, all sincere efforts that help realise Sarawak’s rightful interests,” he added.
On Monday, the Sarawak government filed a petition in the Federal Court seeking a determination on the constitutional validity and continued applicability of several federal petroleum laws to the state.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the petition sought to determine the constitutional validity and continued applicability of the Petroleum Development Act 1974, Continental Shelf Act 1966, and Petroleum Mining Act 1966 to Sarawak.
She said the federal Acts adversely affect and deprive Sarawak of its rights to natural resources, including oil and gas, found in the seabed of the continental shelf within the boundaries as extended and defined by the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954 and the Sarawak (Definition of Boundaries) Order in Council 1958.
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